The present invention relates to swimming caps, and to compositions and methods useful in producing such caps. More particularly, the invention relates to swimming caps, preferably made at least in part of latex, which have a reduced tendency to stick together, and to compositions and methods useful in providing enhanced non-stick or anti-stick properties to such swimming caps.
Swimming caps, such as those made of latex, are often used by both competitive and casual swimmers. The outer surface of such caps is designed to be very smooth in order to reduce resistance as the swimmer moves through the water. One disadvantage of this smooth surface is that it has a tendency to stick to itself. To illustrate, after the swimmer leaves the water, he/she removes the wet cap and places it in his/her bag for storage. The cap is crumpled so that portions of the outer surface of the cap are in contact with other portions of the outer surface. As the cap dries, these contacting portions of the outer surface stick together, making it more difficult to quickly reuse the cap. The degree of sticking can be so great that attempts to undo the sticking can destroy the cap.
In the past this sticking problem has been alleviated by coating the outer surface of the cap with powder, for example, baby powder, each time the cap is to be stored after use. Although such "powdering" is at least somewhat effective, it involves the swimmer carrying around a supply of powder, and also requires time for the swimmer to effectively treat his/her cap.
It would be advantageous to provide a system to avoid this sticking problem without having to repeatedly treat or "powder" the swimming cap.